Lobbyists

First used in the United Kingdom to refer to journalists waiting in the corridors (lobbies) of the Houses of Parliament to interview political decision makers, the word lobbyist is used today to describe individuals who seek to shape the decisions made by governments, legislators, or regulatory agencies. Working for a variety of organizations, lobbyists perform a number of different functions focused on monitoring and influencing organizations’ political and regulatory environments. In per­forming these functions, they face specific strategic decisions and have a range of political resources at their disposal. How lobbyists work can depend on the national institutional environment in which they operate. Commonly considered as overly powerful actors who defend secrecy and privileged access, represent narrow commercial interests, and use their large financial resources ...